1935 Philadelphia mayoral election

none January 2025 September 2023 1935 Philadelphia mayoral election Philadelphia presidential no 1931 1939 File:Samuel Davis Wilson - Washington (1).jpg Samuel Davis Wilson Republican Party (United States) 379,222 53.18% File:Johnbkellysr (1).jpg Jack Kelly Democratic Party (United States) 333,825 46.82% Mayor J. Hampton Moore Republican Party (United States) Samuel Davis Wilson Republican Party (United States) The 1935 Philadelphia mayoral election was the election of Samuel Davis Wilson. Background From the Civil War, Philadelphia politics had been dominated by a Republican Party political machine. However, the machine's power waned in the 1920s and 1930s, following a series of corruption investigations and the Great Depression, which destroyed the popularity of the Republican Party nationwide and in urban centers in particular. General election Candidates Jack Kelly, construction magnate and former Olympic rower (Democratic) Samuel Davis Wilson, Philadelphia city controller (Republican) Campaign Wilson was a strong candidate.October 2008 A Tale of Two Cities: Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, and the Elusive Quest for a New Deal Majority in the Keystone State https://journals.psu.edu/pmhb/article/viewFile/59099/58824 The Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography CXXXII 4 4 May 2019 He had strong persuasive abilities, being able to take opposing positions on a topic while still seeming sincere. For instance, Wilson, as a mayoral candidate, condemned "out of control" federal spending. However, once elected mayor, in 1936 he would later assist in guaranteeing that 40,000 of his constituents were on the Works Progress Administration payroll. Wilson was not completely loyal to the national Republican Party, as he had previously campaigned for Franklin Roosevelt in 1932. Wilson was prone to taking a bare-knuckle approach to political discourse, not straying from referring to his opponents by pejoratives as “dirty rats” and “bare-faced liars.” Having registered 179,000 new voters after the 1932 election cycle, Philadelphia Democrats hoped to finally take the mayoralty. Democrats believed they had recruited the ideal candidate with millionaire contractor and gold medal Olympian Jack Kelly. Kelly was an opponent of discrimination. He had, himself, been blocked from joining the upper echelons of Philadelphia Protestant society. Kelly reached out to Italians, Jews, and African Americans. He also made an effort to slightly diversify the down-ballot positions on the Democratic Party's ticket. Results The race proved to be the narrowest mayoral election that Philadelphia had seen in a long time. Despite Kelly's efforts, 56% of black voters and half of Philadelphia's ethnic Italian electorate supported Wilson. 1935 Philadelphia mayoral election (general election)Mayors of the City of Philadelphia 1691-2000 https://www.phila.gov/PHILS/Mayorlst.htm City of Philadelphia 28 April 2019 Republican Party (United States) Samuel Davis Wilson 379,222 53.18% Democratic Party (United States) Jack Kelly 333,825 46.82% 713,047 References 2collapsed 1935 Category:1935 United States mayoral elections Category:1935 Pennsylvania elections Category:1935 in Philadelphia